4. ANGTJILLA. 33 



lon<?cr than the body. Mandibulary teeth in a single band, without 

 longitudinal groove. 



Europe ; Nile ; China ; New Zealand ; West Indies. 



a. Fine specimen. Itchen. Purchased. 



b-c. Adult and half-grown. Nice, Purchased of Messrs. Gal 

 Frercs. 



d. Half-grown. Ningpo. Purchased of Mr. Ciuning. 



e. Adult. China. From Dr. Cantor's Collection. 



f-g. Adult and half-grown. Chusan, From the Collection of the 



East-India Company. 

 h. Tj'pe of A. diejfenhachii. Now Zealand. Presented by Dr. 



Dicffenbach. 

 I. Half-grown. St. Croix. Purchased of Mr. Stevens. 

 k. Young. 



This form alone of the numerous varieties of the common Eel is, 

 in my opinion, entitled to specific rank. The width and length of 

 the snout cannot be taken as a distinctive character, ;is there arc 

 found all intermediate forms between the extremes ; I am more in- 

 clined to consider the situation of the origin of the dorsal fin, and 

 the development of the lips, to indicate a distinct species. Indeed 

 the specimens referred by me to A. latlrostris are more distinct from 

 the typical European form than is the American Eel. 



Although it appears to be hazardous to identify specimens from 

 localities so distant as England and New Zealand, I could not come 

 to any other conclusion after a very careful consideration of the slight 

 differences observable in oUr examples. The New-Zealand specimen 

 has a somewhat shorter tail, the length of the body being to that of 

 the tail as seven to nine, whilst in Chinese examples it is as seven 

 and a half to ten. This, of course, cannot be of specific value. 



12. Angnilla aucklandii. 



Richards. Voy. Ereb. ^ Ter. Fish. p. 113, pi. 45. figs. 7-13. 



The length of the head is contained once and one-third in the dis- 

 tance of the gill-opening from the origin of the dorsal fin, one-half 

 of its distance from the vent, and conspicuously more than the dis- 

 tance between the commencements of the dorsal and anal fins. Snout 

 broad, short, depressed, subtmncate ; lips broad. The angle of the 

 mouth is distinctly behind the eye, which is small. Lower jaw 

 scarcely longer than the upper. The band of vomerine teeth is ante- 

 riorly as broad as the maxillary band. Tail not much longer than 

 the body. Uniform brown. 



Aucldand Island. 



a, h, c. Types of the species. Presented by Sir J. Richardson. 



13. Angnilla delalandii. 



AnguiUa delalandi, Kaup, Apod. p. 50, fig. 41. 



? Anguilla capensis, Castelnaii, Poiss. Afr. Amtr. p. 73. 



The length of the head is somewhat less than the distance of the 



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